Bless The Broken Road
by Gifted-Hands05
Summary: Fluffy Song-Fic! A Look Into The Start Of Traylor's Relationship From Troy's POV!


_**A/N: Thank ya'll for the response to the one shot challenge (still going on!) and the Vegas story. Untitled and Heat Seekers will be finished, and after I finish one of the two I will be continuing the Vegas story…. I wrote this one shot while listening to one of my FAVORITE country songs. No matter how old this song gets I believe that it will always be one of my favorite. It's a bit fluffy but hey just think of it as me getting a head start on Valentine's Day … Still don't have a beta (bad off, I know) so please excuse any mistake I overlooked.**_

_**I don't own HSM, UCLA, or Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts **_

Many have called my generation lost, saying that we were lacking direction. Some has gone as far as to say that we're lazy, saying that because we were born after a certain year or era that we were doomed to be without the characteristics that made our grand fathers and grand mothers people of great standards, proud and strong. It is because of these certain stereotypes that I decided early on in life that I would be better than the expectation, that I would be a great man. It's because of these stereotypes that I decided that my path in life would be narrow so that I wouldn't be distracted and go off course. That path would help me become a man that would make the generation of my grandparents and parents proud as well as pave the way for the generation of my kids to be great.

Now this narrow path I envisioned for myself required discipline and strength, but I was determined to achieve every single dream and goal that I'd ever had. And I could only hope that as some sort of gift for being determined and focus that I would one day I find true love along the pathway of this predestined road. As time passed I found myself reaping the benefits of hard work and determination as I graduated with all A's and B's and was the recipient of a full ride scholarship to UCLA. I also had a group of friends that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. We were a close bunch. So close that we all applied to schools that put us within driving distance of each other. And last but not least I had my high school sweet heart, my girlfriend Gabriella. I thought I had it all. And I did at least for awhile. Looking back now I guess that I should have expected something to go wrong. Even the best person with the best of intentions can and often do get lost a time or two. And that's exactly what happened to me. My narrow and golden path turned into a broken road of lost dreams and broken hearts.

I soon found that college was very different from high school, and though my friends and I made plans to meet up twice a month, our work schedules and school loads prevented that from happening a lot of the time, with the exception of Taylor and Gabriella, I only saw my other friends once every two months, if that, during our first year away from home and each other. Taylor, Gabi, and myself being the only ones that went to UCLA I saw them a lot, daily. Until one day it all changed and I quickly found myself with Taylor on a daily basis and going days without talking to Gabi. This wasn't of my choosing but after a while not being around Gabi didn't bother me as much, and I found myself not missing her like I would if we were in high school. My profound conversations with Taylor, who had became the greatest friend during the end of our senior year, were the one thing that I looked forward to after a hard day of basketball practice.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found out that Gabriella was sleeping with one of my team mates, but I was, it hurt. At one point in time when I picture my kids I would envision them as a perfect blend of myself and Gabi. My family included her as my wife. It was a part of my dream. But now it was all lost.

I went through different phases after finding out about Gabi, mostly anger, but hurt definitely was running a close second. Through it all Taylor was there. Helping with homework, working out with me in the gym to curve some of my anger, listening to me cry and vent, she even watched ESPN with me. She quickly became the number one girl in my life, my best friend.

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Months had passed and with Taylor's help I had gotten over the long lost dream that was my family with Gabriella and was looking forward to basketball season. It was right before our first game of the season when my coach walked up and asked to speak to me. Hoping I hadn't got in trouble, I followed him into his office and waited for him to speak.

"Troy, I just wanted to say that you're an amazing young man. Rather you know it or not I was made aware of what happened between you and another one of your team mates, Mr. Johnson I believe?"

"Yes sir"

"I thought so… Son I believe that more so than a basketball team you all have a brotherhood that should be honored at all times. And though, Mr. Johnson didn't honor it, you did by keeping your head up and not treating him any differently. You kept your eye on the bigger picture, our team, and because of that I didn't have to worry about the team dividing itself with the who's right and who's wrong bullshit."

"Thank you sir, but Taylor had a lot to do with that. She helped me out a lot."

"Yes, Ms. McKessie she seems to be good for you son. Good to you…"

"She's the best."

"I'm glad you can finally see that…"

He dismissed me and for the life of me I could not figure what he meant by that, but I had a game to play and I had to focus.

The game passed by with all the excitement of any college game and as the ending buzzer went off I looked up into the stands to see Taylor cheering louder than those around her while wearing my number on her shirt. I smiled and she smiled back before turning around and showing me that "BOLTON" lay across the back of her shirt in big bold letters.

That's the moment that it all changed. The moment that I realized that every wrong turn I'd ended up taking upon the path that I'd sat for myself, led me straight to this moment, to her. That the one that broke my heart was like a northern star, pointing me on my way to her. It was the moment that I realized the me not missing Gabi in the beginning, the depending on Taylor, and her becoming so important in my life were all signs pointing me straight to the smiling girl that was currently running towards me, and into my arms. Straight to Taylor McKessie…

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When I realized that Taylor was it for me, I held on and didn't let go. With this being said there were times when I thought back on my time with Gabi and felt a deep sense of regret. Regret, that I couldn't take the time that I'd lost being in that relationship and give it all to Taylor. But when ever I started to feel that way Taylor just smile, kiss my bottom lip, and took my hand in her own. After all she'd spent her high school years in a pointless relationship with my best friend Chad before they decided to be just friends after graduation. So it was safe to say that she'd been there, and felt they same way I did. She understood what I was feeling completely.

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Life's a road that we all travel on and it's up to us to make it what we want it to be. I decided early on in life to make mine one to be remembered. To make mine great! I messed up, suffered lost, had my heart broken, and endured dark times. I try not to dwell on any of that because when it's all said and done everything that happened was just part of a grander plan that was coming true.

As I looked up from where my hand was resting on the slight swell of my wife's stomach where our first child was, I couldn't help but smile as my eyes connected with her.

"A penny for your thoughts, Mr. Bolton…"

"Well, Mrs. Bolton I was just thinking about how we ended up here. Married, happy, and expecting our first child."

"Me and you dude, it's still pretty amazing isn't it? Something like a miracle."

I smiled, "That much I know is true. God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."


End file.
